Dinner went great, and the food was, as always, amazing. Alexander and Emma chatted about her classes, his job (a toned-down version), and their weekend plans, just a typical dad-daughter talk.

After they finished eating, Alexander paid the bill, turning down Zayn’s offer to cover it, and they headed out.

As the valet brought the car around, Emma glanced back at the restaurant. Through the windows, she could see Zayn talking to some of his staff, waving his hands as he explained something. When he noticed her looking, he caught her eye and smiled.

Emma quickly looked away and hopped into the car.

The ride home was quiet, with Emma lost in her thoughts. When they pulled into the driveway, she saw Alexander watching her with an amused look.

"What’s going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

As Emma went to her room, Alexander stayed in the car for a moment, scrolling on his phone. He didn’t see Kade’s car following them home, parked a few houses down with its lights off.

Inside her room, Emma changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed, her mind racing. She had a dinner, well, an apology dinner, with Zayn Cole Virelli.

What had she gotten herself into?

*****

The next day flew by. Emma attended her classes, took notes, and participated, but she couldn’t stop daydreaming.

By the time classes ended, she was completely distracted.

Ayla, who was back at school and looking better, noticed right away.

"You good?" Ayla asked as they walked to their cars. "You seem a little off today."

"I’m fine," Emma said. Then she added, "I’ve got a dinner thing tonight with a guy."

Ayla raised her eyebrows in surprise. "A dinner thing? Emma, that’s basically a date."

"It’s not a date! It’s an apology dinner."

"Who’s apologizing to whom?"

"I’m the one saying sorry to him for calling him an idiot."

Ayla stopped in her tracks. "Alright, spill the tea."

So Emma did. She went through the story about the dress incident, the restaurant, her apology, and Zayn’s condition.

When she was done, Ayla couldn’t stop grinning. "Emma, that was totally a date! He asked you out!"

"He did not."

"Oh, for sure he did! That was actually pretty smooth."

Emma groaned. "Why is everyone saying that?"

"Because it’s totally true! So when is this ’definitely-not-a-date’ happening?"

"I have no idea. He said he’d text me."

Just then, Emma’s phone buzzed.

Unknown Number: "Hi Emma. It’s Zayn. Can’t wait for our dinner. How’s tomorrow night for you? I’ll swing by at 7."

Emma stared at her phone. Then she scrolled up a bit and found it, another message from that same number, sent two nights ago.

Unknown Number: "Hi"

Read. No answer.

"Oh my god," Emma gasped. "That was him! The random ’Hi’ I got the other night, that was Zayn!"

Ayla leaned in, laughing. "You left him on read? No wonder he looked so smug. You totally ghosted him, and he still got you to say yes to hanging out."

"It’s not a date," Emma argued weakly.

"Uh-huh. Sure. So, who is this guy? Zayn... do you know his last name?"

"Virelli," Emma said. "Zayn Cole Virelli. He owns La Virelli restaurant."

Ayla’s eyes went wide. "Wait, THE La Virelli? That super fancy place?"

"Yeah."

"Emma!" Ayla grabbed her arm. "He OWNS that? That place is very expensive!"

"I know."

Ayla was practically overflowing with enthusiasm. "Oh my God, a rich guy is interested in you! Like, seriously wealthy. Do you have any idea how much the Virelli family is worth?"

"No, and it doesn’t matter to me," Emma retorted.

"Millions," Ayla exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Probably even more. They own restaurants, real estate, and numerous investments... they’re like royalty in the restaurant world."

"Fantastic," Emma muttered. "So now I’m having an apology dinner with restaurant royalty."

"You mean a DATE with restaurant royalty," Ayla corrected her. "Come on! He ruined your dress, gave you a reservation, texted you ’Hi,’ and when you ghosted him, he STILL found a way to ask you out. That’s commitment."

"Or persistence that’s bordering on stalker behavior," Emma countered.

"It’s romantic! He’s into you. And you must like him at least a little; otherwise, you wouldn’t be meeting him."

Emma opened her mouth to argue, but then shut it. Did she actually have feelings for him? She hardly knew him. But he was good-looking, charming in a frustrating way, and that smile of his...

"I’m not sure," Emma confessed. "Maybe? This is all happening really quickly."

"Quick can be good sometimes," Ayla suggested. "Just be cautious. Wealthy guys can be complicated."

"Says the girl who’s dating, wait, are you seeing anyone?"

Ayla’s cheeks flushed. "That’s complicated. But we’re focusing on you and Zayn Virelli."

Emma groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I have no idea what to wear or how to talk to him."

"You only need to be yourself," Ayla insisted. "He asked YOU out, so just be yourself."

"Easy for you to claim."

"It is, because I’m correct. And hey, worst case, you get a complimentary meal at an upscale restaurant."

"I’m paying for my own meal."

Ayla laughed. "Oh darling, he’s not going to allow that. Rich guys never do."

Emma glanced at her phone again, at Zayn’s message.

She quickly typed: "Tomorrow night works. 7 is fine."

The reply came almost immediately: "Perfect. I’ll send you the address. Dress code is smart casual. Looking forward to it, Emma. ❤️"

Then another text arrived: "And just for the record, I’m glad you finally responded to my message. I was beginning to think you were dodging me. :)"

Emma felt her cheeks flush as she showed Ayla the texts.

Ayla was beaming. "Oh, he’s really into you. This is going to be exciting to witness."

Emma wasn’t sure whether to feel thrilled or scared. She opted for both.

What had she gotten herself into?

*****

Zayden’s office felt cramped with four people squeezed in. The secret room attached to his bedroom had turned into their makeshift war room, with maps plastered on the walls, surveillance feeds running on several screens, and the constant buzz of tech keeping tabs on their enemies.

But right now, they weren’t chatting about Alpha, Maksim, or even Alexander.

Their focus was entirely on Zayn.

"He’s really into her," Zayden said, his blue eyes glued to his phone screen. He had just read his brother’s latest non-response to his warnings. "Not just a crush. Not just a fling. He’s really falling for her."

Leo leaned against the window, arms crossed. "With Emma Kane. Alexander’s daughter."

"Exactly," Zayden said, slamming his phone down harder than he meant to. "With the daughter of Alexander Kane."

Reyes sat in one of the chairs, posture straight despite his casual clothes. "That’s... messy."

"Messy is putting it lightly," Zayden muttered.

Aylin, at the desk with her laptop open, looked up from what she was working on. Her golden-brown eyes were thoughtful behind her big glasses.

"Listen," she said carefully, "from what we know, Emma’s a good person. She’s not involved in her dad’s shady dealings. She doesn’t even know about them."

"Aylin’s got a point," Leo added, shifting his weight. "Emma’s innocent in all this. If Zayn really likes her, maybe we shouldn’t try to stop him."

Zayden’s jaw clenched. "It’s not about whether Emma is good or bad. It’s not even about whether she deserves to be happy. It’s about Alexander. I don’t want that guy anywhere near my brother. I don’t want him to have any hold over us or any way to mess with my family."

"But Emma isn’t Alexander," Aylin pointed out gently.

"She’s still his daughter," Zayden shot back. "The one thing he actually seems to care about. If he finds out Zayn’s getting close to her, if he catches wind of who we really are, what we’re actually doing..." He trailed off, the weight of it all hanging in the air.

Reyes jumped in, his tactical brain in gear. "Do you think Alexander would use Zayn to get to us? Or leverage Emma?"

"I think Alexander would do anything to protect himself and his secrets," Zayden said flatly. "And you know me; when it comes to my family, I don’t think twice. I don’t gamble with their safety. Not even for love."

"We get it," Leo said quietly. "We’ve seen how far you’ll go to protect your family."

The room went silent for a moment, everyone reflecting on past incidents where Zayden had shown just how far he would go.

Aylin closed her laptop. "So what’s your plan? Tell Zayn he can’t see her?"

"As if that would actually work," Zayden said with a humorless chuckle. "Zayn’s just as stubborn as I am. Maybe even more. If I say no, he’ll just—"

The office door swung open, cutting him off.